Safe House
by ReyOfStarlight
Summary: I apparently can't resist the temptation to write a backstory to accompany my smut. Rey is on Coruscant for a covert Resistance operation when a very unexpected individual shows up. She tries to complete her mission in spite of his interference, but after time together in a long forgotten hideaway she begins to see her unwanted company in an entirely different light.
1. Chapter 1

Writer's note: Tragically, I _still_ don't own any of the characters. They all belong to Lucasfilm and Disney; I just like to play with them. Haven't written anything like this in ages and I'd love to hear your thoughts!

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Rey glided along a side street in the Senate District, blending in perfectly with the bureaucrats and members of high society in an opulent eggplant cloak that she had procured upon her arrival. She'd always wanted to go to Coruscant, and had jumped at the opportunity when the Resistance had asked for a volunteer for this mission. The planet was every bit as magnificent as she'd imagined it; old and new architecture mixing together flawlessly, towering buildings glinting in the sunset while beings from every corner of the galaxy mingled below. She was on her way to the hotel suite that General Organa had somehow reserved for her stay. Rey was unknown to nearly all members of the New Republic government, which certainly worked to her advantage, but blending in with the tourists and aristocracy was still crucial, and Leia had spared no expense in this department.

For a moment, she considered taking the long way to the hotel, perhaps even stopping at a restaurant. Her meeting with the Senator's confidant wasn't until tomorrow afternoon, and an exploration, however minor, of the bustling hub of the galaxy was tempting. Her gaze swept the area around her, and as she watched the long shadows of dusk dance across the street, she resigned herself to heading straight for the hotel. After all, this was a mission, not a vacation, and everything must go according to plan. Pulling on the hood of her cloak as a soft breeze blew through the air, she quickened her pace, anxious to arrive at her suite without incident.

Two long, muscled arms reached out as Rey passed by an alleyway, snatching her from the street and pulling her into the darkness. A hand nearly the size of her face clamped over her mouth while the other arm wrapped around her torso and her arms, pulling her flush against the unseen assailant and preventing her from inflicting any damage. She was about to scream when an invisible hand pressed down on her throat, choking off her air, and a gravely, mechanized voice whispered in her ear "Don't scream, Rey. I'm not going to hurt you."

The color drained from her face as Rey recognized the voice – and the cold fury of the Force aura that accompanied it, and her astonishment caused her to momentarily stop struggling against her captor. As she tried desperately to draw a breath, she again began to fight against the man restraining her, gasping for air as she felt the last bit of it leave her lungs. Instantaneously, the invisible grip around her throat loosened, and she drew a long shuddering breath before his hand tightened over her mouth. His rhythmic breathing sounded in her ear as he bent his head toward her again. "I don't want to have to immobilize you or render you unconscious, but you must understand that I can't risk us being seen or heard," he murmured calmly. 'Of course you can't! It would interfere with your _kidnapping attempt!'_ Concentrating intensely, Rey shouted the thought as loudly as possible, hoping she could force it into his mind.

Her efforts were rewarded with a low, rumbling chuckle. "Silly girl," he started, voice barely audible. "I can see you haven't gained much wisdom during your time with the Resistance. A pity, really." Whether or not he was trying to push her buttons, he had succeeded; though her attempt to elbow him in the stomach was easily prevented as he gripped her arm tightly with his gloved hand. "Now, now, Rey, that's no way to thank the man who's saving your life," he chastised. "You need my protection, so I suggest you cooperate." She snorted against his hand at his last statement. The idea that she needed protection from anyone other than him was preposterous, and the thought of _him_ protecting her from anything was downright laughable.

"Rey," he started, more gently than before. "You're in danger. I'm going to remove my hand from your mouth, and turn you around to face me. I'll do the best I can to explain, but so help me, gods, if you so much as think about screaming, fighting or making a run for it, I will knock you out cold and carry you to my apartment thrown over my shoulder in the most undignified manner possible. Do I make myself clear?"

She tried to nod in response to his conditions, but found the back of her head pressed so tightly against his chest that the most she could do was move her jaw slightly against his hand. He seemed to take that for her agreement, and gently released his hand from her face, though he kept it a few inches away in the event that she decided resistance was a better option. Slowly, he spun her around to face him and, with one arm still restraining her torso, maneuvered them to sandwich her between a cold metallic wall and himself. Rey's breath became shallow and rapid as she felt even more trapped than before. "An insurance policy," he tried to reassure her. "I'm still not going to hurt you." He sighed and shifted against her. He shouldn't have expected this to be easy; of course she'd be terrified and unwilling to cooperate with him after their first encounter.

"Look, Rey." He stated matter-of-factly, trying a different tactic. "If I was here to kidnap or eliminate you, I would have already done so. Holding you alive and conscious like this would be a huge liability." He instantly regretted saying it as her eyes grew wide and he felt her take a panicked swallow. With only one final approach left, he tried again. "There's a First Order assassination plot against you, and I'm trying to prevent it from succeeding," he spat at her, temper rising. The longer they stayed here, the more danger they were both in.

"A _what?_ " She asked incredulously, failing completely to keep quiet.

" _Shhhhhhhhh!"_ he hissed back, glancing nervously at the street from the shadows of the alley.

She fell silent, glaring up at him resentfully and setting her jaw. " _Fine_ , I'll keep my voice down," she whispered through clenched teeth. "But how do I know this isn't a trap, and you're not trying to talk me into going with you so you don't have to fight me before you kidnap me again?"

"I wouldn't be sneaking around this blasted planet in such a ridiculous mask if it was," he countered. As Rey's eyes struggled to compensate for the darkness, he tilted his head, and moonlight played across his face. Underneath the cowl, she could see that his usual black and silver mask had been replaced with a clear one designed to imitate the apparatus used by beings who could not breathe oxygen. The mouthpiece and ornate decorations covered enough of his face that one would be hard pressed to recognize him in passing. Taking her silence for agreement, he slipped his palm down to her lower back. "Good, then. Let's get going. My apartment is only a few blocks away. Take my arm, and keep your head covered. We can pretend we're out on an evening stroll, and I'll explain everything when we're safely inside."

He took a step toward the street, but she remained in place, pressed against the wall. "Rey, come _on,"_ he urged, trying to nudge her forward with the hand resting on her spine, to no avail. He suspected she'd used the force to help her anchor herself to the spot. Glaring in her direction only earned him a stubborn shake of her head, and he exhaled angrily. "What is it going to take for you to-" He stopped short as an idea popped into his head. She was likely fully focused on keeping herself in one place, to the detriment of protecting her mind. With one swift move, he shoved a memory into the forefront of her consciousness.

Rey's head swam as, suddenly, she was no longer in the alley, but was staring up at a towering hologram of Supreme Leader Snoke's twisted figure as he hissed orders at her. "The girl will be on Coruscant in a fortnight, Lord Ren. Though I have already arranged for two teams to carry out the assassination, I'd like you to go along. To ensure that there are no… unforeseen difficulties," he finished slowly, glaring to her left. She glanced in the direction of his gaze and saw a fuming General Hux. She felt herself bow slightly before the words "Of course, Supreme Leader. As you wish," issued from her mouth, and the apparition dissolved.

She wasn't aware she had fallen until she felt her knees colliding with the ground, and she cried out softly, tears pricking the corners of her eyes. A strong hand closed around each of her upper arms, and she was gently pulled back up to her feet. She wobbled unsteadily as the remnants of the memory still partially obscured her sense of the present, though she recalled enough to know that the person supporting her was Kylo Ren, and she was in some sort of danger. "What- what did you do?" she asked shakily.

"I'm sorry," his altered voice murmured from behind her. "You weren't cooperating, and it was either that or render you unconscious and carry you." He paused, loosening his grip slightly to check whether she was regaining her balance. "And a man carrying an unconscious, respectable, looking young woman would draw considerably more attention than two young lovers out for an evening walk." He surprised even himself with how easily the idea slipped from his mouth, and, had Rey not still be slightly disoriented; she might have caught the slight hint of a smirk dancing in his eyes as he articulated it.

The thought of being thrown, unconscious, over his shoulder made Rey scowl; "I don't appear to have another choice, do I?" she asked indignantly.

"No, I don't suppose you do," came his amiable reply, which only served to further incense her.

Her scowl deepened, and her fiery hazel eyes nearly shot blaster bolts into his. "You're _enjoying_ this, aren't you!" she shot back, enraged. "You're getting off on wielding this much power over me you sick, murdering little-"

Rey's insult was cut off as he dropped his hands, paralyzed her with the Force, and swung around to plant the hilt of his lightsaber solidly in her lower back, all in one fluid motion. "I warned you, Rey," he growled, inches from her ear. "You are going to walk with me, _now_ , or I will slice this through your spinal cord and leave you paralyzed in this alley." He pressed the handle of his saber even harder against her spine as he spoke, leaving little doubt to his sincerity.


	2. Chapter 2

Writer's note: Tragically, I _still_ don't own any of the characters. They all belong to Lucasfilm and Disney; I just like to play with them. Haven't written anything like this in ages and I'd love to hear your thoughts!

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The tip and crossguards of Ren's lightsaber handle pushed uncomfortably against Rey's back, and she could feel the cold metal digging into her skin through the light cloak. "This is _exactly_ how I always pictured my rescue," she retorted, intentionally pushing his buttons in the hope that he'd become angry enough to be reckless.

" _Do. Not. Tempt. Me."_ came the snarled reply as she felt the hilt twist against a vertebrate. Abruptly, a _very_ real hand was sliding underneath her cloak near her waist and Rey tensed as the slick black leather brushed across the thin fabric covering her stomach. Her breathing quickened as she stood frozen, terrified of his next move. She felt a slight tug and a soft click, and realized he had yanked her lightsaber from her belt. Groaning, she allowed herself to relax slightly; that is, until a hand ran down her leg in the direction of her ankle. "Where's the blaster, Rey?" his harsh mechanical voice floated up from somewhere around her waist. "I know you have one on you, and I'd rather not have to find it myself," he finished with a thinly veiled threat.

She swallowed, hard. "I don't have one," she spat back. "You of all people should know that Jedi don't carry them," her upper lip curling into a delicate sneer as she spoke.

A gloved hand ran roughly along the outside of her right leg down to her ankle, and she flinched as he quickly felt up the inside of her leg past her knee before moving to the other one. Rey bit her lip as he repeated the process, one hand coming to rest on a small blaster pistol strapped to the outside of her left thigh. She cringed as he chuckled softly, fingers slowly releasing the safety clasps, as if to taunt her. "You're not carrying one, hmmm?" he asked, rising back to full height behind her. "You know, Rey," he paused, lowering his mouthpiece to her ear, "You may hate me, but it would do you well not to _underestimate_ my intelligence." He straightened back up, nudging the saber against her once more. "Now, you may either take my arm and accompany me on an evening stroll, or we go for a walk with a blaster aimed at your ribcage. _Your choice,"_ Ren finished with a hissed whisper.

She tensed at his threat, knowing he could feel her fear, even without the Force. Her pulse was racing so quickly and loudly it felt like the entire planet might just be thrumming along with it. His torso was pressed against the right half of her slightly arching back, and the hand that had just relieved her of her blaster was once again gripping her arm tightly; there was no doubt in her mind that Ren could most certainly feel her rising panic. Unwilling to give him the satisfaction of hearing her articulate it, however, she allowed her features settle into a sneer. "And what if I still don't trust you?"

Ren rolled his eyes behind his mask. His patience was wearing _very_ thin, and he was no longer willing to continue their verbal sparring match. "Then I'll explain everything to you at my apartment, and you can realize your mistake and trust me then," he grunted, sweeping her up unceremoniously and draping her over his shoulder, her head hanging down his back and his arms gripping her legs tightly to keep her from falling.

The Force clamped Rey's mouth shut, preventing her from hurling a string of insults and expletives at the knight as he tossed her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He seemed to not regard her hands and arms as a physical threat, and she began to rain blows down upon his back, only stopping when she heard him let out a sharp groan and stagger slightly as she knocked the wind out of him.

"Force, Rey!" he grunted, bending forward to catch his breath. She took advantage of his distraction to try to wriggle out of his grasp, smirking as her feet hit the ground, his arms still wrapped around her legs, though much looser, as he shakily inhaled. "I didn't want to have to do this," he mumbled, face near his knees.

Rey shot back a sharp "What?" unable to hear what he'd said as she continued to fight against his hold.

"You're going to take a nice evening stroll back to my apartment with me."

Rey looked down at the man quizzically, positive that she'd misheard him. "You think I'm doing _what?_ " she scoffed, feeling a slight coolness wash over her like a gentle wave on a summer's day.

"You're going to take a nice evening stroll back to my apartment with me," came the calm, steady reply. Kylo kept his eyes shut tightly, focusing on his most pleasant memories as he struggled to maintain the even temper required to make successful Force suggestion. She had gotten cocky when her fists had hit their desired target, and he'd made the suggestion when she was caught off guard, not anticipating an attack from the doubled over man.

A blank look settled over Rey's features as she cocked her head slightly, gazing at him. "I'm going to take a nice evening stroll back to your apartment with you," she parroted back slowly, slackening in his grip.

Ren released her legs from his grasp and rose back up to full height. "That's much better Rey, thank you," he purred, with a slight nod of his head. He offered his arm to her, and she wrapped small fingers tightly around his bicep before he gestured toward the street, and they stepped out of the shadows.

The moonlight flooded the streets as they walked quietly, Ren occasionally lifting his right hand to cover both of hers as they easily blended in with the District's residents. They wove their way between other couples out enjoying the pleasant weather and bureaucrats trudging home as Rey continued to hold onto him, still under influence of his suggestions. As they rounded a corner, the gleaming apartment tower they were heading towards came into view, and Ren sighed, relieved that they appeared to have made it safely. Fingers tightening around his bicep told him that this wouldn't go off without a hitch, even before Rey stopped in the middle of the sidewalk.

Thinking quickly, he grabbed her by the waist and led her into the park to their right before she could respond. Keeping his arm firmly around her waist, he stopped in front of a small pond and bent down, nuzzling her neck softly with his mask. "Rey, _do not_ fight me here," he whispered into her ear, trying not to sound too harsh. Ren took care to move tenderly, as if he was enjoying the company of a romantic interest, rather than desperately trying to calm the young woman next to him so that an out and out kidnapping attempt wouldn't become necessary. "I don't know where the First Order teams are, and I don't know if they have lookouts throughout the District," he continued, turning her to press against him, lightly sliding his hand up her back. "We are _one block_ from my apartment. Please come with me quietly; I'll explain everything there. If you still don't trust me, you will be free to go."

Rey continued to draw shallow breaths as he held their position, hyper aware of the feeling of his hand slowly tracing up and down her back. He wasn't making an entirely unreasonable request, nor was she particularly keen to go wandering around the unfamiliar city after dark. "Ok," she responded softly, holding perfectly still as she waited for him to retract his hand.

Instead, he shifted slightly to stand next to her, and kept his hand on her lower back as he guided her back toward the street. "This way, my dear," he crooned, eliciting a small shiver for reasons Rey couldn't quite place. "We're going to the Senate Apartment Complex," he explained, gesturing toward a soaring building topped with two gracefully curved towers, their metal plating reflecting the softly twinkling lights of the planet. She nodded her agreement, not sure what to say, as they strode to the front doors of the building, which slid open with a soft hiss.

As they stepped into the lobby, Rey couldn't help but gape; the room was cavernous, with a ceiling likely four stories above them, Durosian marble spanning the entire floor and banks of glimmering turbolifts surrounding them on three sides. Ren dipped his head to her ear; "Close your mouth Rey," he smirked. "It's impolite to stare, and you don't want to look _too_ out of place." With that, he led her toward a corner of the room.

What Rey had thought was a solid wall of turbolifts actually camouflaged a small hallway that led to a single turbolift, which she assumed to be their destination. "Why this one?" she inquired, eyebrow cocked. "Are you above riding in the lifts that the masses use?" Her tone wasn't cruel, but Ren still thought he detected more than a hint of resentment in her voice.

"No, but my apartment has private elevator access," he responded matter-of-factly. "The others don't go all the way to the top levels." The door slid open, and he motioned for her to step inside, following closely behind her as she did. For a moment, Rey felt weightless as the lift shot up, but the sensation ceased nearly as quickly as it had begun, the lift gently slowing to a halt before the doors opened of their own accord.

Rey's jaw once again fell open as her gaze swept her surroundings, falling on the sight directly in front of them. Graceful ivory columns soared upwards around the veranda, which opened to a stunning view of Coruscant. The delicate web of illumination spread out below them as the planet readied for the night, and spires of other skyscraper rose in the distance. She could see the zipping lights of vehicles flying through the city, and as she glided out onto it, the Senate Complex came into view directly beneath them.

Watching her shock with a smug satisfaction, Ren trailed the astonished girl out across the cool marble floor. "Do you like what you see?" he teased, already knowing the answer. Though he'd been here many times, he still appreciated just how magnificent the apartment was, never mind the view.

"Did you confiscate this from an _emperor?_ " Rey wondered, still staring at the skyline before her.


	3. Chapter 3

Ren pulled off his mask and placed it lightly on a mahogany end table before shaking his head and running long fingers through his jet-black locks. Dark fabric pooled around him as he sprawled out on one of the plush couches on the veranda, chuckling at her question. "No, not from an emperor. A senator, though she was originally a queen," he said softly, reveling in the tranquility and safety of the apartment.

She turned to face him from behind a waist-high fountain, scowling. "That's not any better," she reprimanded, planting her hands on her hips. "And I won't stay in something you've acquired through unsavory means."

He rolled his eyes at her 'holier than thou' routine. The girl was insufferable, and for a moment, he questioned why he'd even made the effort to protect her. Deciding that pushing her buttons would not benefit him in the least, he sighed dramatically before explaining. "Relax Rey. I didn't take it from anyone, it belonged to my maternal grandmother."

His maternal grandmother? She stared into the fountain as she tried to remember everything she'd been told about the Skywalkers. She knew all about how Anakin Skywalker had become Darth Vader, knew that Luke and Leia were his children, but as she thought, she realized she'd never heard about their mother. "The General's mother?" she asked cautiously.

"Yes, General Organa's mother," Ren replied brusquely. He avoided talking about his mother at all costs, preferring to avoid the guilt and pain he had come to feel even upon hearing her name. 'She doesn't know that though,' he reminded himself wearily. Softening his demeanor, he continued. "Senator Padme Amidala. She was elected the Queen of Naboo for two terms before representing Naboo in the Galactic Senate during the time of the Old Republic." Pausing, he glanced around the balcony appreciatively. "Her planet purchased this penthouse for her during a period of political instability, and left it vacant after her death. When the Naboo Consulate discovered her children had survived, they bequeathed it to them." Ren hesitated, considering how best to avoid discussing his mother, uncle, and Jedi training. He sighed again, running his fingers through his hair unconsciously; he'd been doing quite a bit of 'treading carefully' since he'd grabbed the girl, and it was getting tiresome. "It was given to me when I began training, I've been using it as a retreat ever since." The knight closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of the cool night breeze on his face as it toyed with the soft waves in his hair.

Rey, however, did not feel the least bit relaxed, despite her surroundings. "So while I'm the target of a supposed assassination attempt," she started, her brow furrowing with suspicion, "you brought me to a penthouse apartment that belonged to your grandmother, which General Organa, Master Luke, the Naboo Consulate, Snoke and the First Order know about and likely all-"

"Neither the Skywalkers nor the Consulate can access the apartment," Ren snapped, cutting her off. "Do you really believe I was stupid enough not to change all of the locks and codes? And neither Snoke nor anyone else in the First Order knows that this place exists." He sat up, massaging his temples in an effort to calm himself before continuing. "I wouldn't be relaxing in a place with such glaring security vulnerabilities. No one knows that I've ever set foot in here, you're perfectly safe as long as you remain in the apartment." He took a deep breath as she regarded him warily, still standing on the opposite side of the fountain, arms planted on her hips. "Look, Rey," he murmured, hoping a conciliatory tone might allay her concerns slightly. "You can't very well go wandering the city alone at night. You might as well have some food and let me explain everything."

Tense shoulders softened beneath the light cloak, and the lithe young woman slipped around the fountain to stand in front of him. "Very well," Rey said haughtily as her stomach grumbled quietly. "You seem to have thought this through, at least somewhat. And it _would_ be unwise for me to attempt to reach my hotel, particularly if your First Order soldiers have plans to kill me, as you claim. It appears I have no other practical options at the moment," she paused, staring down at him intently. "But I want my weapons back."

Dark brown eyes flashed as he brought his gaze up to meet hers. "So you can try to mount an escape or kill me? I think not." Kylo rose from the couch, pulling himself up to his full height, gazing down at her and enjoying the shift in their power dynamic. "You've been difficult enough already, I'm sure I'll have a bruise on my ribs tomorrow. I'd like not to add a blaster burn to it."

Much as she tried to keep her emotions in check as Jedi should, anger came naturally to Rey, and at the moment, it had come with the fury of a Jakku sandstorm. "You snatched me off the street, threatened me, invaded my mind – which, by the way, is _incredibly_ rude – and used a Jedi mind trick on me to make me cooperate, and you have the nerve to tell me _I'm_ the threat here? Give them back, now, or I'll hit you!" she finished, her voice rising in indignation.

Ren had been prepared to shout right back at her, but her threat instead caused him to hold back a chuckle. He had to admit, the young woman nearly yelling in front of him was indeed a worthy opponent, but at the moment, she reminded him much more of a petulant child than an adversary. "Alright, alright, point taken," he conceded, raising his hands in mock surrender. "You can have them back, although, _obviously_ , I expect that you not use them on me."

"Thank you," she responded, her rage ebbing slightly as she expectantly held out her hands.

The faintest trace of a smirk momentarily graced his distinctive features, and Ren reached a hand deep into his robes, producing her lightsaber. "This what you wanted?" he queried, already knowing the answer. He waited until she rolled her eyes and nodded, but rather than place it in her waiting palm, he swiftly slid a hand under her cloak, deftly fastening it back to the clip on her belt.

She swatted his hand away, though not before he'd already finished the task, with an annoyed "Ren, just _what_ do you think you're doing!?" She huffed, and words sounding very much like "insufferable prat" slipped out on her next exhale as she continued to glare at him.

"What was that?" he asked in a tone of mock concern. "You'd like me to refasten your blaster and holster too?" he added teasingly. Ren had secretly enjoyed pushing her buttons on Starkiller base, and judging by the glint her saw in her eye, it would be only too easy to continue doing so.

"I do _not_ ," she shot back, unamused by teasing. "I seem to recall you telling me you had no ill intentions; that certainly doesn't seem to be the case at the moment." Rey backed away slightly, toward the edge of the balcony, still eyeing him with an annoyed expression on her delicate features. "Now, you told me there was food, and I'd like to eat. Especially since I should have been in my hotel room with a hot meal over an hour ago." Rey hadn't quickly forgotten her time on Jakku, and she was willing to forgo most of the modern day comforts she now had access to; a hot meal, however, was decidedly _not_ one of them.

It was now Ren's turn to roll his eyes. "Perhaps you would've been enjoying a meal," he said noncommittally, "It's just as likely Coruscant security services might be scraping your burnt remains off the walls of your suite." He glanced over at her, growing a bit concerned that she appeared to have backed closer to the edge of the veranda. "And before you ask, I know you're in a suite because the First Order intercepted some Resistance communications about your mission. Why don't you come with me to the kitchen, and you can decide what you want to eat?" Ren finished hopefully, suddenly feeling uncomfortable about how exposed they were, though he knew that the penthouse's shielding would prevent any extremely unlikely attacks.

Rey simply nodded, the stress of the day's events beginning to take its toll on her, and followed the swirling bottom of a thick black cape through the luxurious apartment and into a large, high ceilinged kitchen. A light colored stone graced the countertops and floors, and soft lights hung from the ceiling, illuminating the room with a warm, welcoming glow.

"I don't have a lot of food here, unfortunately. Is pasta with some meat alright?" Rey's attention was drawn back to the unexpectedly soft voice floating across the kitchen island.

She looked back to see Ren pulling some food out of a conservator and putting it into a pan. "Mhm, that's fine," she nodded, looking back nervously in the direction of the balcony. "Are you _sure_ it's safe in here, with the entire apartment being so open?" she finally blurted out, unwilling to consider that the knight may actually have thought through his plan, whatever it was.

" _Yes_ , it is. There are three different types of shielding in place around the entire thing. Particle and energy shields from when my grandmother lived here, and one I designed myself," he sighed. "And Senator Amidala lived here when there were multiple attempts on her life and a Sith controlled Separatist group wanted her dead. If it was safe enough for a galactic senator, it is _certainly_ safe enough for _you_." Ren finished disdainfully, immediately softening his tone before she had a chance to start another fight with him. They were likely going to be stuck in the apartment together for at least a few days, perhaps longer, and he'd rather they not spend that entire time at each others' throats. "Look, it's going to be about thirty minutes until the food is done. Why don't we go sit outside, and I'll explain what's going on."

"I don't really care where we sit, I just want to hear an explanation for why you grabbed me off a main street, brought me to your secret hideaway, and haven't killed, interrogated or otherwise harmed me," she replied, beginning to feel testy as her stomach rumbled again.

Kylo was already heading out of the kitchen by the time she had finished. "No, we need to go outside," he called over his shoulder, grabbing a small pouch off one of the counters as he headed down the hallway. Rey was in no mood to keep up with his quick pace, and the knight had already settled into a couch when she stepped out onto the balcony, heading toward the opposite couch. "Rey," he placed a hand on the cushion next to him, "Come sit down. Please." Noticing her hesitation, he held up a pair of macrobinoculars and added "I just want to show you something. I can't exactly do that if you're all the way over there."

"True," she conceded, sitting down tentatively at the very edge of the cushion, as if she was preparing to jump up and sprint from the area at the slightest provocation. She took the macrobinoculars he offered her, and held them up to her eyes, adjusting the settings until the building he had indicated came into focus. "What am I supposed to be looking for?"

"See where the building narrows, about three-quarters of the way up?" unconsciously, Ren put a hand on her shoulder, taking note of how she flinched at the contact, and pointed toward the floors he was referring to, "Count five levels up from that point, and look at the bank of windows on the left corner."

Rey followed his instruction, locating what appeared to be a small suite. "Ren, it looks like a random hotel room. What's your point?" she grumbled.

"That's the Hotel Imperial, and more specifically, _your_ hotel room," he replied. "Watch it closely, I'm going to-"

She cut him off before he could offer any more of an explanation. "You just so happen to be able to spy on my suite from your apartment?" she tore into him, her voice rising. "And how do you know which hotel and room I was supposed to be in _anyway_?"

He rolled his eyes, patience beginning to wear thin. "I already told you, we intercepted Resistance communications about it." Picking up a datapad, he punched in code, then looked back up at her. "So, want to see what would've happened when you ordered dinner?" he asked, his face unreadable, though Rey could've sworn she detected a glimmer of cruel amusement in his eyes. She only stared back at him, which he took for agreement. "Hmm, do you want a drink with dinner? Of course you do," he murmured, focusing back on the pad. "Alright, give them a few minutes. I'd watch your suite closely if I was you."

She shoved the eyepieces back up against her face, seething at his arrogance. Even if he _was_ right, there was no need to be so _conceited_ about it. They sat in silence as the minutes ticked by, Rey still fuming about the smug man seated next to her when she noticed the door to her suite slowly open. Her eyes widened as she watched a trio of shadowy figures burst in, before her view was entirely obscured in a hail of blaster fire. A few moments past before the commandos cease firing, but as they do, she can see them turning the suite upside down, clearly searching for something – someone. Clearly dissatisfied, she watched as one lit a fire and they slipped out before the fire suppression system could kick in.

Rey grew pale as she lowered the macrobinoculars, the blood draining from her face. "You- you could've staged that," she argued weakly.

"Yes," the dark haired man shot back, "I suppose I could've arranged for them to storm suite 30K19 just to prove my point, or, coincidentally, _another_ team of Stormtroopers is on an assassination mission on Coruscant. I'm sure the odds of that are very high indeed." If he'd had any idea how to properly comfort someone, he would have tried to reassure the increasingly anxious young woman sitting next to him. "Look, I've already warned the Senator's confidant that she was also at risk as soon as you arrived on Coruscant. I instructed her to keep the information to herself until I tell her otherwise. She is no longer in danger, as long as you keep away from her. You, however, will be at risk for the foreseeable future, which is why I must insist that you stay here until I can determine that it's safe for you to leave."

"Why?" she asked quietly, her eyes searching his face for any extra clues as she tried to feel for emotions in the Force, but found only a calm determination emanating from him.

"Why do you have to stay here?" Ren was surprised at the question, she was clearly a bright young woman, and he thought he'd explain himself properly. "Well, the Stormtrooper teams will remain-"

" _No_ ," she cut him off. "I meant why are you doing this? The last time you saw me, you restrained me to a table and tried to force your way into my mind before you threw me against a tree and tried to kill me with your lightsaber." She was breathing harder by the time she finished, her fear of the dark knight in front of her amplified by what she'd just seen happen to her suite.


	4. Chapter 4

Kylo Ren abruptly looked away from the young woman sitting to his right, and instead fixed his gaze on the softly bubbling fountain. He hadn't really expected to avoid answering that question; the girl was nothing if not headstrong, and she was extremely suspicious of others, undoubtedly from her time on Jakku. It only made sense that she'd demand to know why, after a kidnapping, an interrogation and a duel, he'd suddenly save her from a First Order assassination; indeed, the tired knight had spent much of the trip to Coruscant trying to come up with an answer, and he wasn't any closer to one than when he'd first felt an uncharacteristic need to protect her.

Altruism had never been a trait he'd possessed in great abundance, apparently in stark contrast to the rest of the Skywalker family, and it wasn't something he'd observed in his actions for many years, not since joining Snoke. Yet here he was, sheltering a girl he'd wanted dead mere months ago. It had been there nearly immediately after she'd pushed him out of her mind; a pull to the light, stronger than he'd felt in years. At first, he brushed it off, chalking the flicker up to a residual effect of the mental link he'd established. As days turned to weeks and he became aware of the Force bond he'd unintentionally created, Kylo told himself it was merely the light burning brightly in the young woman that he felt. When he'd decided to hide her away from the First Order's commando teams, the knight had reassured himself that it was simply in his own self-interest; her death might damage his own mind through the link, and even if it didn't, he wanted, _needed_ , to understand their connection. As he snuck a glance back at her, he found it increasingly difficult to pretend it was only for his own sake. Regardless, he couldn't very well discuss it with her, not now.

Rey watched silently as the man next to her stared blankly through the smooth marble orb of the fountain, as if his mind was millions of parsecs away. His brow furrowed, relaxed, and then tightened again; his nostrils flared ever so slightly, and at one point, his lips drew tightly into a sharp line. She studied him, hoping to find some chink in his defenses, perhaps even one through which she'd slip into his mind undetected. Finn had reluctantly agreed to allow the eager young woman to practice her mind probing techniques on him, and though her skills were unrefined, she'd made considerable progress.

Rey's current efforts were stymied, however, as the brooding man in front of her suddenly swung to face her, his knees brushing against hers and prompting a shiver to race through her body. "Sorry," he murmured quietly, leaning away from her. For a moment, she worried that he had been rifling through _her_ mind, had seen what she was attempting, and was about to reprimand her. She sad nothing, his distracted manner reassuring her that he'd been too focused on the question she'd asked to pay any attention to what she was doing. "To answer your question," he started slowly, still not clear on what exactly he'd tell her, "the Supreme Leader ordered you killed because he believes your strength in the Force poses a threat, both to him and to me."

The cloaked young woman shuddered at the mention of Snoke. She'd expected to be on the wizened Force user's radar, but somehow, confirmation that she had been targeted by the evil being still caused a knot to tighten in her stomach. "So then why aren't I dead now?" she asked bluntly, growing more confused with the situation unfolding before her.

"My master and I disagree on that point," he smiled ruefully. "Surely, you've felt the connection I accidentally forged on Starkiller base…?" Rey only nodded in response. She'd become aware of it after a few weeks with Luke. In the beginning, she'd assumed the volatile swirl of emotions she felt was her subconscious, struggling with her rapid shift in circumstances, but as she continued to meditate and became more in touch with herself, she'd realized that the feelings belonged to someone else. It hadn't taken her long after that to realize who; for one, there weren't exactly a lot of people that she could have someone formed a mental link with, and as the connection solidified, she'd seen snippets of his dreams, enough to confirm her suspicions.

"Good," he continued, "I assumed as much. I haven't informed Snoke of the bond, and I don't believe he's become aware of it on his own. Of course, that also means he didn't consider the damage he could do to my mind by killing you-"

"So this is just for your own self-preservation then." Rey interrupted, her eyes flashing dangerously. "How kind of you to keep me out of reach of your commandos while you protect yourself from any mental _damage._ "

He shifted uncomfortably in front of her; this whole situation was rather delicate, and he was trying to approach it as such. No matter what he said or did though, it seemed that the fiery Jedi in front of him would turn it around on him in an attempt to pick a fight. Sighing, Ren decided it best to ignore her last interruption. "I must admit, Rey, I'm also curious about that link – about you," he paused, gauging whether she'd be receptive to his musing, or if he was about to be on the receiving end of a verbal or physical slap. Sensing no imminent attack, he continued. "Force bonds of this strength are rare, and unless you've secretly been circling the Finalizer for the past few months, our bond stretches greater distances than I've been able to find recorded in any Jedi or Sith texts."

Rey's lips curled into a look of distaste at the words 'our bond', "I am _not_ bonded to you," she seethed, "You obviously messed up your interrogation and created some sort of link. Just fix whatever it is you did, and we can forget all of this happened."

The soft babbling of the fountain had relaxed the raven haired man, and he let out a low, rumbling chuckle in response to the young woman's impetuousness, which earned him a furious glare. "You think this is _funny?"_ she snapped at him. "Trying to earn my trust by stroking my ego after you've locked me away in your penthouse indefinitely?"

Running a large hand through his hair absentmindedly, Ren exhaled deeply. "You think I'm lying?" he asked quietly, all the while identifying and burying certain memories deep within his mind. "Why don't you take a look?" he hissed, throwing open the gates and letting his consciousness flood into the space around them, washing over and mixing with Rey's as he roughly pushed a few memories and thoughts at her.

Her head spun, and she barely noticed that she'd doubled over when a memory of Luke burst into her mind. For a moment she watched, entranced, as the glowing blue line of Luke's saber sizzled through the misty air of Ahch-To in a training maneuver, and she flinched when a second blue blade crackled to life and blocked his swing. Recognizing the scene as a recent afternoon of training with Master Skywalker, Rey allowed herself to relax and float in the memory, observing the two spar as if she was looking down on them from above. She'd nearly forgotten why she'd be reliving such a memory in the first place when the scene suddenly changed, and she found herself staring down at the curled up form of a well-muscled young woman.

As she peered into the darkness at the woman, Rey realized with a start that she was looking at _herself_ , and that the version of her lying in an austere bed was crying quietly, her body shaking as she held back sobs. She didn't need to wait to know what had caused the tears; it had been a few months back, and she'd failed at yet another training exercise Luke had presented her with. As she lay in her bed, his disappointed face kept replaying in her mind, as if on a loop, and the only comfort she could imagine was being with Finn and Poe, who were light years away from her. The failure and crushing loneliness had been too much for her to stomach that night, and she'd cried until the first feeble rays of sunlight pierced their way through the fog the next morning.

Rey let the image of the broken young Jedi fade slightly from her focus, and tried to understand why she was replaying these memories. It made no sense to her; Ren was simply showing her memories of her own, which certainly didn't prove that there was any sort of enduring connection between the two of them. As she searched for anything out of place in the memory, she felt a dizzying sensation as the image in front of changed once more.

Almost immediately, she could sense that she was not alone; another presence was observing the events unfolding before her. She blinked once more into the darkness and realized she was still looking at herself, in her small room on Ahch-To; something was distinctly different about this memory than the previous one. The Force that surrounded her felt as if it was simmering, drawing closer and closer to a breaking point, but never quite reaching it, and as she watched the other Rey, it became apparent why. One tan arm had snaked low, a slender hand disappearing nearly up to the wrist beneath the waistband of her leggings, and memory Rey wore a look halfway between pained and euphoric on her face, her brow furrowed and her eyes screwed tightly shut, a faint blush rising up her cheeks as a sinful moan escaped her parted lips.

Just then, it hit her – _Ren_ was watching this too. He'd slipped into her mind somehow, and was observing the scene unfolding below; she was sure, with an unbearable smugness. " _Get. Out."_ she growled, searching frantically for enough of his presence to hurl him violently from her mind. She felt his conceit as memory Rey continued to work her fingers even more frantically beneath her trousers, another whimper ghosting from her lips, and Rey felt both a heat begin to pool in her stomach and a fierce blush burn up her cheeks and across her chest. Clenching her own eyes shut, she tried desperately to locate the cruel knight in the Force, and, finally sensing enough of his presence, she threw him from her mind. " _That's PRIVATE,"_ she roared, panting as the heat scorched her cheeks and she glared at the smirking man sitting in front of her.

Ren congratulated himself on successfully keeping memories of his _own_ reactions to those scenes locked up tightly, far away from any prying Rey may have tried to do. "Do you think I could've watched any of those things through some accidental Force mix up?" he asked, smirk widening as a triumphant twinkle danced in his dark brown eyes.


End file.
